Container closure



April 18, 1967 o. E. SEIFERTH ET AL 3,314,569

CONTAINER CLOSURE Filed Jan. 2'7, 1965 United States Patent 3,314,569CONTAINER CLOSURE Oscar E. Seiferth, and Glenn M. Austin, Madison, Wis.,assignors to Oscar Mayer & Co., Inc., Chicago, 111., a corporation ofIllinois Filed Jan. 27, 1965, Ser. No. 428,333 4 Claims. (Cl. 220-54)This invention relates to packaging and is more particularly concernedwith improvements in containers, such as cans, which include a tearstrip arrangement in an end thereof whereby the container may be openedby merely grasping a pull tab attached to the tear strip and removingthe tear strip together with a panel of the container.

Packages have heretofore been provided which employ containers, such ascans, with the containers being characterized by an open ended tubularbody and a closure therefor in the form of a panel member having itsmarginal edges connected in sealed relation with the marginal edges ofthe tubular body and having incorporated therein a tear striparrangement with a pull tab adapted to be grasped and pulled so as totear the panel material along a line extending about the periphery ofthe panel and thereby release the panel for removal. Objections havebeen raised to many of these tear strip arrangements generally becauseof difficulty in starting the tearing of the tear strip from theadjacent material, and it is a general object of the present inventionto provide an improved tear strip arrangement in a can end whichfacilitates the starting of the tearing operation without reducing theeffectiveness of the closure.

It is a specific object of the invention to provide a closure panel orlid for a container, such as a can, which incorporates therein a tearstrip arrangement for removing a portion of the closure panel wherein anend section of the tear strip is cut through and covered by a separateseal forming member of a size to encompass the pre-cut section and whichmay be lifted to permit the end section of the tear strip to be graspedand pulled so as to tear out a predetermined portion of the panel.

It is a still more specific object of the invention to provide a canclosure having a tear strip therein which merges into a peripheral scoreline so that by tearing on such score line a panel is freed for removalwith the tear strip having an end section which is cut through and asealing and lifting tab adhesively secured over the pre-cut end sectionso as to form an hermetic closure which tab may be grasped and pulled tolift the pre-cut end section of the tear strip above the surroundingmaterial and enable it to be grasped for tearing along the peripheralscore line.

These and other objects and advantages of the invention will be apparentfrom a consideration of the container end closure which is shown by wayof illustration in the accompanying drawings wherein:

FIGURE 1 is a perspective view of a can having a can end which isprovided with a tear strip and a pull tab in acccordance with thisinvention;

FIGURE 2 is a perspective view similar to FIGURE 1 showing the tearstrip partially removed;

FIGURE 3 is an enlarged plan view of the can end of FIGURE 1;

FIGURE 4 is an enlarged fragmentary vertical section taken on the line4-4 of FIGURE 3; and

FIGURE 5 is an enlarged fragmentary vertical section taken on the line55 of FIGURE 3.

Referring to the drawings, there is illustrated a conventional type ofcan which includes a cylindrical body 11 and an end closure 12. The canend 12 is preferably formed of a light gauge metal, for example,aluminum or tin plate, which is easily rupturable. The can end or lidmember 12 is secured at its margins to the body 11 by a conventionalseam 13 3,314,569 Patented Apr. 18, 1967 The can end 12, as illustrated,is provided with a tear strip formation 14 which has a curved portiondefined by a pair of spaced, generally parallel score lines 15 and 16,which extend, in a generally radial direction, from a circular tabformation 17 in the center of the closure 12, toward the periphery ofthe closure 12. The one score line 16 curves into merging relation witha peripheral score line 18 which is disposed adjacent the peripheralseam formation 13 so that the portion of the closure 12 within the seam13 is freed by tearing along the score line 18 and may be removed toopen the can. The other score line 15 terminates in an inwardly curvedor semi-circular portion 20 which extends in the general direction ofthe center of the closure 12 and terminates in spaced relation to themain portion of the score line 15.

The pull tab section 17 is defined by a line 21 of circular shape whichis completely cut through the closure material so that it is freed fromthe surrounding material except where it joins the end of the stripformation 14. A seal forming member 22 which is preferably in the formof a strip or patch of tape is adhesively secured to the tab portion 17and the surrounding material so as to overlie and seal the cutting line21. The sealing strip 22 is of sufficient size to extend a predetermineddistance beyond'the cutting line 21 so as to enable the container to behermetically sealed. A small marginal portion 23 of the strip 22 is freeof adhesive so that it may be grasped to lift the strip 22. The tapemember 22 is preferably an impervious plastic material or a thin metalsuch as aluminum foil. The score lines 15, 16 and 18 are preferablyformed by scoring or cutting through 60% to of the thickness of thematerial in the closure or lid member 12. A type of adhesive is employedwhich will adhere sutficiently to permit an hermetic seal to be made butwhich is sufficiently peelable to permit it to be pulled loose from theclosure panel 12 while adhering to the tab 17. The adhesive may be apressure sensitive type or a heat seal type.

In opening the closed and sealed package the free margin 23 of the sealstrip or tab portion 22 is grasped between the fingers and pulled in astraight line in the direction of the hinge connecting the free end ortab portion 17 with the tear strip portion 14 so that as the strip 22 ispeeled away from the panel it remains adhered to the tab 17 and liftsit, making it possible to grasp the tab 17 and complete the opening bytearing along the score line 18 which frees the scored panel forremoval.

The adhesive coated strip or tab portion 22 serves to hermetically sealthe opening resulting from the cutting of the panel material in formingthe tab portion 17 of the tear strip and also provides a means to liftthe tab portion 17 during the opening operation so that it may bereadily grasped by the fingers and pulled to tear out the scored paneWhile particular materials and specific details of construction arereferred to in describing the illustrated form of the invention, it willbe understood that other materials and equivalent structural details maybe resorted to within the spirit of the invention.

We claim:

1. In a container, a tear strip arrangement for facilitating the readyopening of said container, said tear strip arrangement beingincorporated in a panel of said container and comprising a tear stripportion. defined by a pair of spaced, generally parallel score linesextending inwardly from a point near the periphery of the panel towardthe center of the panel and terminating at an enlarged tab forming endportion which is bordered by a circular cutting line extending aboutsaid end portion with the material in the panel cut through on saidline, one of said score lines merging at its outer end into a score lineextending around and forming the perimeter of a portion of said panelwhich it is desired to remove so as to provide an opening into saidcontainer, and a combination seal forming and tab lifting member whichis in the form of a strip of relatively thin flexible sheet material ofsufficient size to cover said tab forming end portions with a centralportion thereof adhesively secured to the tab forming end portion andsaid strip having its margins sealed to the panel material surroundingsaid tab forming end portion by a peelable adhesive which permits thestrip to be pulled loose from the surrounding material while it remainsconnected to said tab forming end portion.

2. In a container as recited in claim 1, and said seal forming and tablifting member having a free end marginal portion which may be graspedto lift the member so that it may be pulled loose from the containerpanel.

3. In a container as recited in claim 2, and said seal References Citedby the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,870,935 1/1959 Houghtelling220-53 3,151,765 10/1964 Griese 220*53 3,182,852 5/1965 Wilkinson 220-543,137,931 6/1965 Henchert 22o 54 3,251,515 5/1966 Henchert at al. 22o 53r THERON E. CONDON, Primary Examiner. 0

G. T. HALL, Assistant Examiner.

1. IN A CONTAINER, A TEAR STRIP ARRANGEMENT FOR FACILITATING THE READYOPENING OF SAID CONTAINER, SAID TEAR STRIP ARRANGEMENT BEINGINCORPORATED IN A PANEL OF SAID CONTAINER AND COMPRISING A TEAR STRIPPORTION DEFINED BY A PAIR OF SPACED, GENERALLY PARALLEL SCORE LINESEXTENDING INWARDLY FROM A POINT NEAR THE PERIPHERY OF THE PANEL TOWARDTHE CENTER OF THE PANEL AND TERMINATING AT AN ENLARGED TAB FORMING ENDPORTION WHICH IS BORDEDED BY A CIRCULAR CUTTING LINE EXTENDING ABOUTSAID END PORTION WITH THE MATERIAL IN THE PANEL CUT THROUGH ON SAIDLINE, ONE OF SAID SCORE LINES MERGING AT ITS OUTER END INTO A SCORE LINEEXTENDING AROUND AND FORMING THE PERIMETER OF A PORTION OF SAID PANELWHICH IT IS DESIRED TO REMOVE SO AS TO PROVIDE AN OPENING INTO SAIDCONTAINER, AND A COMBINATION SEAL FORMING AND TAB LIFTING MEMBER WHICHIS IN THE FORM OF A STRIP OF RELATIVELY THIN FLEXIBLE SHEET MATERIAL OFSUFFICIENT SIZE TO COVER SAID TAB FORMING END PORTIONS WITH A CENTRALPORTION THEREOF ADHESIVELY SECURED TO THE TAB FORMING END PORTION ANDSAID STRIP HAVING ITS MARGINS SEALED TO THE PANEL MATERIAL SURROUNDINGSAID TAB FORMING END PORTION BY A PEELABLE ADHESIVE WHICH PERMITS THESTRIP TO BE PULLED LOOSE FROM THE SURROUNDING MATERIAL WHILE IT REMAINSCONNECTED TO SAID TAB FORMING END PORTION.